A bipartisan group of five lawmakers has asked federal regulators to block the multibillion-dollar sale of power company AES, warning that the deal could raise electricity costs for ordinary utility customers in order to benefit data centers - which is a polite way of saying your toaster might soon be subsidizing a chatbot.

In a Sept. 28 letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Laura Swett, the lawmakers argued the acquisition would not be in the public interest. The signatories were Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Reps. André Carson (D-Ind.), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) - a coalition that presumably agrees on roughly nothing else.

BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners, private equity firm EQT and other investors agreed in March to acquire AES in a deal valued at more than $33 billion, making it one of the largest power sector transactions in recent years. Because nothing says "stable public utility" like a private equity firm with a 15 percent return target.

"The private equity industry's involvement in the public utility market has significant implications for consumers' energy costs at a time when Americans are facing record high utility bills," the letter reads, which was first reported by Reuters.

The lawmakers said the deal could pressure AES to generate higher returns, potentially leading to higher electricity rates that would eventually fall on the consumer - a time-honored tradition in which the bill arrives and you're the only one surprised.

They pointed to Global Infrastructure Partners's target returns of 15 percent to 20 percent, compared with a historical median of 10 percent for regulated utilities. That gap, the lawmakers suggest, doesn't just close itself.

The group also raised concerns about BlackRock's investments in power infrastructure and data centers, which have popped up across the country to power emerging AI technology. Both industries are driving much of the growth in U.S. electricity demand, which is a fancy way of saying the machines are hungry.

"Even worse, if a data center fails, consumers may continue paying for the unnecessary upgrades via increased utility bills," the letter reads. So the data center gets the electricity, the AI gets the glory, and you get the invoice.

AES pushed back on those concerns, saying in a statement to Reuters that the acquisition is not expected to affect rates at its regulated utilities. The publicly held company told Reuters that customers of its electrical utilities in Indiana and Ohio would not pay costs associated with the acquisition, including the purchase premium or transaction expenses. AES also said the deal would improve its access to capital to invest in grid infrastructure.

Under the deal, which AES shareholders approved, AES would become a privately held company. The transaction still requires Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval, and it is expected to close later this year or early next year - leaving regulators, and ratepayers, to wait and see whether the 15-to-20 percent return target turns out to be as harmless as promised.